Catalan painter and sculptor Antoni Tapies, one of the world’s top contemporary art figures, died Feb. 6 in Barcelona. He was 88.

A statement from the government of his native northeastern Catalonia region confirmed the death but did not disclose the cause.

Mr. Tapies — who won many awards, including the 2003 Velazquez Prize, Spain’s top art award — was known for sprawling, abstract works that sometimes featured discarded everyday materials and graffiti-like scrawls.